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In this modern world, people expect instant gratification. An answer, an experience, a meal, car service or a new purchase come on demand. Immediate, relevant results and content – and whether it’s information, an address, a new pair of jeans or sneakers, or Pokemon Go you seek, search is often the first stop in the consumer journey.

As a result, new search-based products such as shopping ads, local listings and the knowledge graph have taken prominence in the search engine results page (SERP).

Through these engagement points, brands – particularly retailers - have many new opportunities to interact with consumers. However, be warned. Not all search tactics are created equal.

We all know location searches have taken off. Location searches were the fastest-growing segment in 2015 and accounted for 50% of all mobile searches. And according to a recent comScore study, an estimated 73% of purchases performed after a mobile search occurred in a physical store.

So, it’s safe to assume that search interest captured within local search results and in Google maps is a critical driver of business for brick-and-mortar locations. However, simply having a strong SEO onsite program, with high visibility within the SERP, doesn’t necessarily correlate to local search success.

High-quality location-based search results depend on a brand’s ability to ensure accuracy of company and store information, popularity with users (reviews), distance to store and keyword relevance.

Some factors for success to consider:

Are brand and company photos curated?

Is content standardized nationally?

Are local differences accounted for?

Is user-generated content harnessed for the brand’s objective?

Similar to paid search, once a location list is optimized, brands can add firepower with local paid ads. On a mobile screen, with only a handful of listings, having two results greatly improves a brand’s ability to capture interest away from the competition.

iCrossing ran a year-long test for a large retail client. We executed against 20,000 new listings and 40,000 edits in existing locations. We managed over a million corrections and optimizations at the business description, logos and photos level.

The results for our client? Remarkable – they gained an incremental 23.6 million impressions, 270,000 clicks to site and $3.3 million in revenue, based on their model of attribution between click to brick.

Our key takeaway? Treat the traditional SERP and local SERP page as two different entities. While one descended from the other, they are maturing in different ways. Since Google recently added in-store inventory search functionality within local search results, mobile has become a stronger bridge towards omnichannel commerce.

Deep-pocketed retailers can own top positions through SEM, product ads and a well-optimized SEO program. But that doesn’t guarantee smashing success. If you don't manage local search appropriately, a nimble upstart program has an opportunity to intercept customers. Your customers.